1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an improved structure of a portable optical information reading apparatus which works to optically read a code such as a barcode or a two-dimensional code and process input data.
2. Background Art
In recent years, portable devices made of an optical information reading unit such as a barcode reader to which a function of collecting and processing input data is added have been employed as a barcode handy terminal (BHT). Particularly, of such portable devices, a handheld type equipped with a gun grip is very popular in users.
For example, Japanese Patent First Publication No. 11-328121 discloses a BHT which is made up of a personal digital assistant (PDA) and a barcode reader built in the PDA and equipped with a gun grip. Japanese Patent First Publication No. 10-269339 discloses a BHT with a detachable grip.
The former BHT has drawbacks in that the building of the barcode reader in the PDA results in increases in development and production cost, thus making it difficult to produce the BHT on a commercial basis and in that in stand-alone use of the PDA without performing a barcode reader function, the bulky size of the PDA creates inconvenience for the user.
The latter BHT has drawbacks in that it is expensive and inferior in portability and operability of the BHT in a case where the grip is removed from the BHT.